Glenn Isbell
July 18, 2021
Note: The transcript below is automatically generated and will contain errors.
Transcript:
Glad to have everyone here this morning and we have a good many of our members that are out traveling. So we pray for their safety and their safe return.
This morning. I want to be.
Fairly brief that we’re going to talk about. Who are we?
Christ begins his sermon we’re going to be out of Matthew 5 in the Beatitudes and as Christ begins at Sermon on the Mount the first 12 verses of Matthews or what is commonly referred to as to be attitudes the first 12 verses describe Christ declares who are blessed.
It’s declares the attributes in the heart of man that are favorable in God’s sight. He describes the faith and character of the people who would be Disciples of Christ poor in spirit. They that mourn the meek those that hunger and thirst after righteousness the merciful pure in heart peacemakers those that are persecuted for righteousness.
she say
and then in verse 12, he says Rejoice for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted. They the prophets which were before you.
But then in verse 13 14, he says ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt have last has lost his savior where will wear with it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing. But to be cast out and be trodden under the foot of man, you are the light of the world a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Today, I want to look at Jesus statement in verses 13 and 14. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
We must be considered in context with two things first. It must be considered in context with those described in the first 12 verses because that is who he’s talking about. It’s the foundation upon which verses 13 and 14 relates to
The context relates to Faith the beginning the growth the maturity and the testing of God’s people it relates to the character of the people who would be Disciples of Christ.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
These were people from all walks of life From Galilee from the capitalist from Jerusalem from Judea and from Beyond Jordan yet. They were not among the world’s powerful or Elite or in any way in a position to think of themselves as able to impact the world.
Yet Jesus said if you possess these attributes, you are the salt of the earth the light of the world second. We consider it in context with what Jesus knew about the world.
That the world has something called sin, which is loose. The tendency of the world is toward that which is evil and corrupt. The biblical concept of the world called said in Romans, 3:23 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
I mean in Psalms 14 beginning in verse 1 it says the fool has said in his heart there is no God.
They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none that doeth good the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God they are all gone aside. They are all together become filthy. There’s none that doeth good. No, not one.
And in Romans 3 beginning in verse 9. He says what then are we better than they know in no wise but we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that all our understand as it is written. There is none righteous. No, not one if you understand the condition of the world in Jesus statement, excuse me.
His intentions for us as salt of the earth and a lot of the world becomes clear.
In John 3:17. He says for God sent his sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. We are to be different from the world only when we are different can we really have the effect Jesus had in mind?
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
By definition we understand it to be the best or noblest elements of society.
So what does salt do it has three main qualities it is a season in agent sprinkled on bland food. It helps enhance the flavor, but can you imagine a life or a world without God’s knowledge and wisdom without any checks on morals how people act or behave without any knowledge of right or wrong?
With that any Godly Godless in their lives in the world?
Without God life becomes a never-ending search for meaning and satisfaction.
With God we are an alternative to the downward spiral of Despair by changing lives values and the purpose in life and the life to come.
Do we enhance our Rich the lives of people we come in contact with in Colossians 4 in verse 6. He says let your speech always be gracious seasoned with salt that you may know that you ought to answer that. You may know how you ought to answer every man.
We should affect people in a way they want to listen.
Second salt can function as an antiseptic in the world by acknowledging. The only cure for sin is Jesus Christ and the word of God by living Faithfully to God where our involvement in life turns the trend back to God and His truth and wisdom.
When we have the opportunity to help set the pace and agenda by which God would have the world to live.
Verde we can function as a preservative in the world bra preserving God’s truth and righteousness God expects us to be different from the world to stand apart from the sins of the world in which we live preserving values morals and Godly life that people can see these attributes are pleasing to God.
Can you see the effect when a godly man or woman makes his or her presence known to the world?
Often the fact that a Godly person is present stops the trend toward sin wera by example to preserve The Godly life and values that God has decreed to defect differentiate between a Godly life and a sinful lat. We’ve all encountered in our lifetimes in our work careers and our families.
Times where there’s happen, you know, I can remember when I was 15 year old kid, and I was working construction.
It was a pretty salty crew that I was working with but I was 15 and I can remember the conversation got to be rather salty and there was a gentleman by the name of Kip McWherter. He stood up and said now you can’t talk like that in front of this boy.
He set the example for the older guy older people and they quit.
And so but anytime that they would tend back that way he would call them to task and it was years later that I found out that he was a member of the Church of Christ.
And and I can remember that we had a preacher here yet in his working career. He was a before he started preaching. He was a superintendent of Cruz that in the union that did the asbestos praying and currently at that time. There were a lot of lawsuits going on about Asbestos and the in the cancer-causing agents, but he turns
It is the superintendent’s he had all the records of all the people their names and addresses of in what jobs they worked on in the Adam stored in his garage when the lawyers found this out and they obviously were interested in all the things that he had.
He had a member of the church that had this asbestosis. And so he agreed to give him those give the lawyers those records for that person, but then it got to where they wanted him to do things for every client that he had and he said look I’m preaching I don’t have time to be in the courtroom all the time.
But he turned out that his his son later who was who was in a law school and later became a lawyer this company hired him and obviously he had access to the garage with the records were but he made the comment. It said dad says you don’t know what difference it makes when you come to the office. He says the the president of the company will go around to every day ask it makes
Sure, that everything is appropriate that the nothing is going to be the fencing that there’s no offensive material out or whatever. And so but by calling them to tie ask on the things that were were not right he had set a tone in that company.
that people paid attention to
now they did it for obviously other reasons, but never let us the tone was set. So we’re by example to preserve that Godly life and values that God has decreed.
We consider the verses about the Christian and the world our role in this life in Romans 12:1. He says I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice. Holy acceptable unto God, which is your spiritual service and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We are to be different in John 17 verse 14. I have given them Thy word and now and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world even as I am. Not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that I should have keep them from the evil one. There are not other world even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth Thy word is truth. As I had sent me into the world even so have I also sent them into the world and in 1st John beginning in 5 beginning in verse 3. We are to overcome the world for this year’s the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not Grievous for whatsoever is born of God.
God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.
In 1st Peter 2 beginning in verse 9. He says you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation A peculiar people for God’s Own possession that you should show forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light.
Which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God which had not obtained Mercy, but now have obtained Mercy what happens if the salt becomes mix with another element to the extent. It is made in effective. This means when the people who are to be different from the world becomes just lock the world when we no longer preserve purity.
In God’s word such as useless to God and man.
What happens when the light of Jesus no longer shines in our lives?
In Acts 26 beginning in verse 22. He says having therefore obtained help of God. I continue this day witness you both through small and great saying none other things and they’ll switch the prophets and Moses did say she’d come the Christ should suffer and that he should be the first they should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and the Gentiles.
And Sakura themes for in verse 4. He said in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds which believe not lest the light of the Glorious gospel of Christ. Who is the image of God should shine into them.
And in John 8 verse 12, he says and then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of Life of life.
In 1st John 1 in verse 5. He says this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no Darkness at all.
And in verse 27 and verse 7. He says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have Fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ. His son cleanses us from all sin.
Paul testified the king Agrippa and of his Encounter of Jesus and Acts 26 and verse 16, he says but rise and stand upon thy feet for I have appeared in to thee for this purpose to make the minister and a witness both of those things, which you have died has seen and of those things in which I will appear into the delivering the from the people and from the
tiles and too much into whom are now Cindy to open their eyes to turn them from Darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are Sanctified by faith that is in me.
In conclusion in 1st Peter 4 and verse 11. He says if any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any man Minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praised and Dominion forever and ever we are called to change the world in which we live.
We do it by day and different from the World by living the actual breach attributes expressed in the Beatitudes that our life can be seen by others. We do it by living the life. God would have us to live in a sinful world. We do it by being a light to those who are lost.
We do it for a purpose in verse 16 and Matthew 5. He says let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. We do it to glorify God we do it to bring glory to God.
Jesus says he resists these poor in spirit. They that mourn the meet the thirst after righteousness the Marcus merciful the pure in Heart The Peacemaker persecuted for righteousness sake you are the salt of the earth the light of the world that others may see you and glorify God.
The message is a very simple one. Are you a clear distinction in your life from the people of the world?
Paul reiterates this position in Galatians 5 verse 23, but describing the fruit of the spirit, but the fruit of the spirit is love joy, peace long-suffering gentleness goodness.
Faith meekness Temperance against such there is no law. If we live in the spirit. Let us also walk in the spirit. Do we have an effect on those around us? Do we look speak react handle life deal with people differently than those around us.
We are to conduct ourselves in a manner that glorifies God God has defined the identity of those who belong to him in his kingdom. The message is as true today as when Christ delivered it to the Sermon on the Mount be the salt of the earth be the light of the world the best of the noblest of the kind.
It is he in us that makes us visibly different the best are the noble elements of society in First Corinthians, 10:31. He says whatever it whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God be the salt of the earth be the light of the world be different than the world.
If you’ve not accepted Christ as your savior now is the time if you need the prayers of the church, we stand ready to assist you at this time. If we can be of service you can be the salt of the earth. You can be the light of the world.